Dictionary: Prayer

A distinction needs to be made between the various occurrences of the words “pray” and “prayer” in most translations of the Bible and the modern connotation of the same words. In the OT, the main Hebrew words translated as “to pray” and “prayer” (palal and tepillah) refer to the act of bringing a petition or request before God. They do not normally, if ever, refer to the other elements that we today think of as being included in the act of praying, such as praise or thanksgiving. The same is the case in the NT, where the main Greek words translated “to pray” and “prayer” (proseuchomai and proseuchē) also specifically denote making a petition or request to God. But other words and constructions in both Testaments are also translated “to pray” and “prayer,” and this article will deal with the larger concept, including praise, thanksgiving, petition, and confession, as opposed to the narrower meaning of the particular Hebrew and Greek terms (see also Praise; Thanksgiving; Worship).

Old Testament

In the OT there is no language or understanding comparable to modern ways of talking about prayer as conversational or dialogical. Prayer does not involve mutuality. Prayer is something that humans offer to God, and the situation is never reversed; God does not pray to humans. Understanding this preserves the proper distinction between the sovereign God and the praying subject. Therefore, prayers in the OT are reverential. Some OT prayers have extended introductions, such as that found in Neh. 1:5, that seem to pile up names for God. These should be seen as instances not of stiltedness or ostentation, but rather as setting up a kind of “buffer zone” in recognition of the distance between the Creator and the creature. In the NT, compare the same phenomenon in Eph. 1:17.

Many of the prayers in the OT are explicitly set in a covenantal context. God owes nothing to his creatures, but God has sworn to be faithful to those with whom he has entered into covenant. Thus, many OT prayers specifically appeal to the covenant as a motivation for both those praying and God’s answering (1 Kings 8:23–25; Neh. 1:5–11; 9:32; Pss. 25:10–11; 44:17–26; 74:20; 89:39–49). In postexilic books such as Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel, an important feature in the recorded prayers is the use of prior Scripture, praying God’s words (many times covenantal) back to him (in the NT, see Acts 4:24–30). Also, the closeness engendered by the covenant relationship between God and his people was unique in the ancient Near Eastern context. So Moses can marvel, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Deut. 4:7).

Prayer must be made from a heart that is right toward God. There is no guarantee that God will hear every prayer (Ps. 66:18; Prov. 1:28; Isa. 1:15; 59:2). For the most part, the “rightness” that God requires in prayer is “a broken and contrite heart” (Ps. 51:17; cf. Isa. 66:2).

Although several passages talk about prayer in the context of sacrifice (e.g., Gen. 13:4), there is surprisingly little emphasis on prayer in the legal texts about sacrifice in the Pentateuch, no prescriptions for the kinds of prayer or the words that are to be said in connection with the sacrifices. Interestingly, however, in later, perhaps postexilic contexts, where there is no temple and therefore no sacrifice, we find texts such as Ps. 141:2, where the petitioner asks God to accept prayer as if it were an offering of incense and the evening sacrifice (cf. Prov. 15:8; in the NT, see Rev. 5:8).

A presupposition of prayer in the OT is that God hears prayer and may indeed answer and effect the change being requested. Prayer is not primarily about changing the psychological state or the heart of the one praying, but rather about God changing the circumstances of the one praying.

There is a striking honesty, some would even say brashness, evident in many OT prayers. Jeremiah laments that God has deceived both the people (Jer. 4:10) and Jeremiah himself (20:7) and complains about God’s justice (12:1–4). Job stands, as it were, in God’s face and demands that the Almighty answer his questions (Job 31:35–37). The psalmist accuses God of having broken his covenant promises (Ps. 89:39). While it is true that God does, to some extent, rebuke Jeremiah and Job (Jer. 12:5; Job 38–42), he does not ignore them or cast them aside. This would seem, ultimately, to encourage such honesty and boldness on the part of those who pray.

Literarily, accounts of prayers in narratives serve to provide characterizations of the ones praying. The recorded prayers of people such as Abraham, Moses, Hannah, Ezra, and Nehemiah demonstrate their true piety and humility before God. By contrast, the prayer of Jonah recorded in Jon. 2, in its narrative context, betrays a certain hypocrisy on the part of the reluctant prophet.

New Testament

The depiction of prayer in the NT is largely consistent with that of the OT, but there are important developments.

Jesus tells his disciples to address God as “Father” (Matt. 6:9; cf. Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). Although recent scholarship has demonstrated that “Abba” is not the equivalent of our “daddy,” it expresses a certain intimacy that goes beyond what was prevalent at the time, but retains an element of reverence as well. God is not just “Father,” but “our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). Even Jesus addresses God as “Holy Father” (John 17:11), “Righteous Father” (John 17:25), and “Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matt. 11:25). And Paul, as mentioned earlier, uses a buffer zone, rarely in his epistles using the word “Father” by itself, but instead referring to “God our Father” (e.g., Rom. 1:7) and frequently using the phrase “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; cf. Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:3). God is our Father, but still he is a Father before whom one reverently kneels (Eph. 3:14).

Prayer to God is now to be made in the name of Jesus (Matt. 18:19–20; John 14:13; 15:16; 16:23–26). While there is some debate as to the exact nuance of this idea, it seems clear that, at the very least, prayers in Jesus’ name need to be ones that Jesus would affirm and are in accordance with his holy character and expressed will. It is, in essence, saying to God that the prayer being offered is one that Jesus would approve.

Prayer can also be made to Jesus (John 14:14), and such devotion to him in the early church is evidence of his being regarded as deity. The instances of this in the NT are rare, however, and generally either exclamatory or rhetorical (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 16:22; Rev. 22:20). The norm would still seem to be that prayer is to be made to the Father, through Jesus’ name.

Unlike anything prior in the OT, Jesus tells his followers to pray for their enemies (Matt. 5:44). Jesus and his followers serve as examples (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60).

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in prayers. It is by him that we are able to call out, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). The Spirit himself intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26). Our praying is to be done in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18; Jude 20; possibly 1 Cor. 14:15).

Jesus encourages fervent and even continual or repeated prayer (Luke 18:1–8), but not showy or repetitive prayer (Matt. 6:5–8).

Jesus becomes the model of prayer. He prays before important decisions (Luke 6:12–13) and in connection with significant crisis points (Matt. 14:23; 26:36–44; Luke 3:21; 9:29; John 12:27). He offers prayers that are not answered (Luke 22:41–44) and prayers that are (Heb. 5:7). Even as he tells his disciples to always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1 [which is also the meaning of the sometimes overly literalized “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thess. 5:17 NRSV]), so he himself wrestles in prayer (Luke 22:41–44; Heb. 5:7). He has prayed for his disciples (John 17; Luke 22:32), and even now, in heaven, he still intercedes for us (Heb. 7:25). Indeed, our intercession before God’s throne is valid because his is (Heb. 4:14–16).

Synonyms: invocation, intercession, devotion, appeal, plea, entreaty, petition, solicitation, supplication, request, suit
Antonyms: demand something, insist
Showing 301 to 325 of 4877 results
Sermon
George Bass
... , ‘Woe to you, woe to you!’ "48 His efforts brought him little satisfaction and the sanctity he sought in Christ continued to elude him almost altogether. But we can remain in the risen Christ, and that happens by our faithfulness to his Word, by worship and prayer, and by receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion, which renews the gift we received in Holy Baptism. For it is in baptism that we are first joined to him, and he to us. Through the Word and the Eucharist we remain in him, and he remains in ...
Sermon
Robert G. Tuttle
... and to tell me that he had prayed for me. Strangely, about three days later, my back suddenly got better. I like to think that the prayer and the concern were a real part of the healing. Such a world of deep faith and compassionate caring for each other is the world that ... triggered by an inner assurance, and we are healed. The eminent physician, Dr. William Sadler, once said, "In neglecting prayer for healing we are neglecting the greatest single power in the healing of disease." Dear Heavenly Father: I’m ...
303. Paul's Thorn In The Flesh
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Sermon
Bill Bouknight
... let’s look at what Paul did about his thorn and how God responded: "Three Times I Besought The Lord About This." Paul prayed to God on three occasions, asking Him to remove the thorn. But God did not. Where does it say in the Bible that our prayer requests will always be answered affirmatively? Jesus prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane that he be spared the agony of the cross. But God's answer was no, and Jesus accepted it. Country music often tells stories. Do you remember some time ago a song ...
304. Thankful Day By Day
Philippians 4:2-9
Sermon
King Duncan
... commander's tent and pleaded with him but to no avail. So Rinkart said to those accompanying him, "Come, my children, we can find no mercy with men, let us take refuge with God." Then and there, the group fell on their knees and the pastor prayed a fervent prayer, followed by the singing of a hymn. Deeply moved, the Swedish commander relented. He reduced the levy from 30,000 thalers to only 1,350. Martin Rinkart died a year later at the age of sixty-six after the bloody war was over, a worn and broken man ...
Sermon
Edward Inabinet
... I''m still praying for him.'' A friend said, Everybody I saw said they were praying for you.'' A man said his church, held a special prayer service for you and you had a lot of people asking God to spare you.'' "What I did to deserve any of that I don''t ... made that step, that initial step from agnosticism to some semblance of belief, as he says, "in something or someone who has the power to answer prayer and to do good." But you know, he didn't go as far as he needed to go. He doesn't say a word about Jesus ...
306. If Only -- In Spite Of
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... have a whole community of folk dwelling inside of us, and some of them are friendly, and others of them are our enemies. So when we take our thorn to the Lord, we allow the Lord to help us begin to embrace the thorn. So, as we stated earlier, in prayer, when we are praying about the thorn in the flesh -- perhaps the second time we bring it to the Lord, we learn to start the process of acceptance. But Paul says that he prayed three times -- three times that the thorn would be taken away. What comes the third ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... you suffering? Let him pray," James says. But not just let him pray, listen to verse 14 - 15: "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven." The Church is a praying place and a praying people. Let me give you the outline for the sermon I preached last Sunday evening at the ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... desire to keep going on, to try and forget. Emmaus is whatever we do or wherever we go to reclaim our sanity when our world goes to pieces; when our ideals and dreams are violated and distorted. I’ve shared with many of you the way I practice prayer for our students, staff, and faculty at the seminary. At the beginning of each school year I divide our entire community into 38 groups – that’s the number of weeks that we have during the basic school year. I pray for a number of students, faculty, and ...
Sermon
Phil Thrailkill
... and shares my prejudices, but showing love to the one who is not like me, the enemy and the outsider, not only in action but in prayer to God for them and me. I can’t do these things on my own, and neither can you; that’s just the point. But, and ... not enough to avoid them and not do them harm. We must actively love by doing good whenever possible and holding them up in prayer before God. Amazing thing that I have discovered: it is nearly impossible to do someone good, pray for them, and hate them at the ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... hungry of our world, who have no other choice, on almost a daily basis, than to fast? Can we consider using the money that we save from not eating to assist the poor and marginalized in our society? Can we use the time that would be spent eating in prayer, lifting to God those whose daily lot is hunger and thirst? In today's gospel, Jesus says we should not store up treasures on earth, for these are transitory; they do not last. They will waste away, be stolen by thieves, or spent over time. But the things ...
Sermon
Stephen M. Crotts
... and the need for willing workers remains. Realize that God is still sending his people out to hurting people everywhere ... and that he may be sending you to a healing ministry or a preaching of the Good News in the places and with the people you know the best. Suggested Prayer We give thee thanks, O God, for your healing ministry. We thank you that you not only care for the health of our spirit, but for our minds and bodies as well. Help us to make it a habit to call on you and your church for all our ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... planes will return and make their lives better. Of course, what's missing in cargo cult religion is the engines that can power the planes into the air to ride the wind. All the persistence in the world doesn't pay off without the engines of prayer to power our lives, to make our hopes and dreams soar in the Spirit. This is one of the greatest problems in our churches today: we're another cargo cult religion. We're copying programs, crafting planes, building hangers, and landing strips galore. But unless ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... dare putting OUR words to God's music. Just as small children can sing and dance without inhibition, without self-consciousness, before loving parents we can dare to put our own hopes and dreams, fears and questions, hurts and shames into words to lay before God in prayer. Once the words are real, once they are out there, they are translated and returned to us by God. The God of grace and mercy, the God who saw Abraham's trust, heard Abraham's "I will go," responded by "reckoning it to him as righteousness ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... a guest (Ps. 23:5); or even presenting a legal brief in court (Job 13:18). In other words, David had a plan to his prayer. He had an order to his quiet time. That word can also mean "to draw up for battle or to take up positions." When you ... stay between pray and the Word of God, you will always be headed in the right direction. Let me just say two very quick things about prayer. First of all, you should pray naturally. That is, when you pray talk to God just like you normally talk to other people, or like ...
315. I Am the Vine
John 15:1-17
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... . If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it will be done for you. Now we have time only to make the point that if we abide in Christ, all the rewards of dwelling in him will be ours – answered prayer, yes; guidance for daily living, yes; certainty in the midst of confusion, yes; strength to be more than conquerors through him who loved us, yes. If you abide in me, any my words abide in you, ask. It really is a clear word about relationship, and that’s what this ...
316. Digging Deeper
Philippians 3:12-16
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... Bible. One said, "I like the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. It is easier to read than the older versions." A second student said, "I like the Message. It's easy to read and it's pithy and to the point. I can use it in my daily prayer." The third student surprised them all and said, "I like my mother's version the best. She translated the Bible into action I can use in my daily life." I really like that. Somebody once said, "You may be the only Bible someone else reads." Having said that, as we ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
... a cave. Jesus fasted in the desert. The early Church fasted before making decisions. Fasting is a form of penance, a way of being sorry for our sins. Fasting is an act of freedom from addictions that control us. Fasting provides a time for prayer and thoughts of the poor. II. Some Spiritual Exercises Are Primarily Public Among them are Holy Communion, Christian Conferencing and public worship. A. Holy Communion is a means of grace. Wesley said in a sermon, “Let everyone who has either any desire to please ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... Paul is using the term, and the way we most often experience it, is the futile, frustrating, debilitating attempt to bear the burdens of life, and especially the burdens of the future by ourselves, alone. The Christian answer to anxiety is confident prayer which issues in “the peace of God which passes all understanding.” Now this is no glib word, no pious cliché, no easy moralizing about complex issues. Remember, Paul was in prison. Ponder even for minute the immediate circumstances out of which the ...
Sermon
Lee Griess
... come to those who take the risk of faith. Adventure awaits those who decide to follow. New life is ours when we consent to be born again. But the first step begins with us. We must take the risk. Begin this morning by praying a new prayer to God. Begin by offering the prayer that Nicodemus was unable to make. Begin by saying, "God, I want to take the adventure of faith with you. I want the new beginning that comes with being born again. I want to get serious about my faith. Use me like you've never used ...
Sermon
... village. The priest told his flock to go home and to fast and pray and return to the church the following week for a special prayer service in which they would ask God for rain. The villagers went home and prayed and fasted and returned just as the good father ... the powers that be. If you feel so moved, fast from a meal or two, or from your favorite television show, and offer that as prayer. We all must pray. You never know how God is going to work. There is a story from an unknown source that I heard long ...
321. Hidden Potential
1 Samuel 2:12-26
Sermon
Derl G. Keefer
... I.” Three times Samuel appears before Eli. Finally Eli realizes that it is God who is speaking to the child and tells him to be attentive to God’s voice. We need to be attentive to God’s voice in our day. God speaks to us through our prayer and meditation. Prayer is not a platform to impress others. It is not a show of piety but a sincere desire to listen to God. It is a place we retreat to get direction, guidance, encouragement, help, strength, and courage. It is not a place to plead or beg or hammer ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... He did for you when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross.” (6) How do we show our love for God? Let me count the ways. At least three ways: Treat with respect the things of God, including His name; spend time in His presence in prayer and worship; and live the way God wants us to live. One day a Pharisee, an expert in the law, tested Jesus with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your ...
323. Dust in the Wind
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Sermon
Timothy Cargal
... Sermon on the Mount is clearly stated in its opening line: “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them.” Three specific rituals of piety are treated: almsgiving (vv. 2-4), prayer (vv. 5-15, with the lectionary leaving aside the model prayer now known as “the Lord’s Prayer” in vv. 7-15), and fasting (vv. 16-18). The unit is framed by the references to the re­wards of piety (vv. 1, 19-21), specifically the “reward / treasure in heaven,” that is, spiritual benefit ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... damage and was doing her best to spread her hurt around by verbally abusing her adopted mother. When things were at their worst, this mother would sit on a meditation cushion, light a candle in the darkness, and wrap herself in what she came to call her prayer shawl. With the help of these concrete aids, she was able to continue loving someone who was difficult to love. (6) We all have to find what works for us. But the testimony of scripture is that Jesus heals. He healed Mary Magdalene of seven demons. We ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... the way to get God to give us what we want. We want a new job, we pray for it. We want better health, we pray for it. We want our sports team to win, we pray for it. Mature Christians understand that this is a most inadequate view of prayer. The Rev. Ken Kesselus tells a wonderful story about a boy who went to a contest for homemade racing cars sponsored by the scouts. It was one of those events where the contestants are supposed to do their own work but most of the fathers help too much. At one ...
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